Laundry hamper



Patented Apr. 14, 1931 ARTHUR J. FELTA'ULT, 0F BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEYLAUNDRY HAMPER Application led October 25, 1928. Serial No. 314,878.

My present invention relates generally to receptacles, and hasparticular' reference to a laundry hamper ot unique character andconstruct ion.

lt well known that available space is e-X- tremely small in many of theresidential apartments of `the present time. This is particularly truewith respect to closet space. The proper and convenient location of theordinary type ot laundry hamper is therefore quite a problem.

To locate such conventional hampers in bathrooms presents a similarproblem since such bathrooms are by no means roomy.

It is therefore an object otl my present invention to provide a laundryhamper of a character and construction which will render it peculiarlyadapted to employment in apartments of the type mentioned. It is a moreparticular object to provide a hamper which is adapted by its structuralnature to be permanently associated with the Wall of a bathroom, therebypositioning' the hamper in a convenient place while at the same timeutilizing a portion of the valuable space ordinarily occupied simply bythe wall of the bathroom and hence normally unavailable.

Briefly, my invention relates to a built-in receptacle which is soconstructed and associated with a wall as to render it peculiarlyefficient for the purpose of accumulating lauiulry or the like overrelatively short periods of time'.

The laundry hamper constructed in accordance with my present inventionis composed ot two complementary and separably associated sections, oneot which is embedded in the wall of the bathroom and the other of whichbulges slightly outwardly into the room. A maximum amount ot storagespace is thereby provided with a minimum amount ot obstruction, it any,to the room itsel'l". (lne ot the principal 'features ot my inventionlies in providingl the sections with means :tor permittincT totalwithdrawal or removal of the front section by merely pulling; thereon orh v similarly manipulating it in an eri'treniely simple nianner. Thisinstruction renders my device particularly eilicicnt in connection withthe relatively small bathrooms ot modern apartments, permitting' theperiodic removal of the contents or" the hamper in an expeditious anduncumbersome manner.

Another particular lfeature lies in providing' an aperture in .saidfront section for permitting' insertion, t'rom time to time, ot thelaundry which to he iurculnulatod, a suit-- able closure lid beingprovided in such a manner as to retain such aperture normally closedwhile at the same time pcrn'iitting' the inscrtion ot laundry to beell'ected in a simple manner.

Further features oi' my invention reside in the particular simplestructural nature ol.' the` sections, the provision ot suitalfileattach-- ine' portions and means tor accomplishing` the desired ends,the rovision of ventilating openings, and in general, all thoseparticular strmtural characteristics which render my device attractivein appearance, inexpensive to manufacture, simple to install, and highlyeliicient in tull'lling the conteniplatcd functions.

I achieve the toregoiiig,r objects and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear or be pointed out in the manner illustratvely eX-emplilied in the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure l is aperspective view oi. a laundry hamper constructed in accordance with mypresent invention and associated with a wall of a bathroom;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale takensubstantially along the line of Figure l and Figure 3 .is across-sectional View taken substantially alone; the lino 3h53 ot Figure2.

`For illustrative purposes l have shown a tyl `ral wall which consistot' spaced upright studsr l() and ll to which: ntablc metal lath isatt-ached in the usual manner. ilpplied t0 the lath is the plaster l2and over the lat-ter are the tiles Lil. `Dependingl upon the particular.size ot hamper, suitable horizontal studs 1t and l5 are associated withthe main vertical studs so as to provide a structure somewhat in the nature of a. frame for acconnnodating the emliieddcd section of my device.u,

The rear or (anlanldcd section illustrated (itl Aforwardly disposed topwall 19, and the forwardly disposed bottom wall 20. Preferably, thoughnot necessarily, the rear wall 16 is inclined forwardly at its upper andlower ends to provide the rear wall portions 21 and 22 mergingrespectively with the to and bottom wall portions 19 and 20. Suita leattaching devices such as the bolts or screws 23 extend through the sidewalls of this embedded section and into permanent engagement with theframe composed of the studs within the wall.

The forward edges `0f the side, top, and bottom wall portions 17--20 arearranged to lie substantially flush with the exposed outer surface ofthe bathroom wall, and these edges are provided with outwardly disposedflanges adapted to overlie the adjacent marginal portions of such outersurface. The entire section is preferably made of an integral piece ofsheet metal, and the flanges last mentioned are preferably constructedso as to merge with one another to provide the continuous marginalflange 24. Such flange enhances the outer appearance of the device andalso facilitates the proper mounting of the rear section within thewall. i

The complementary front section which I have illustrated may similarlybe formed of an integral sheet metal' element suitably constructed'as aclosure for the forwardly open embedded section. The front sectioncomprises the front wall portion 25 which is parallel to but slightlyvspaced forwardly` from the outer surface ofthe bathroom wall. At itsupper and lower ends, the front Wall 25 is inclined toward the bathroomwall for the dual purpose of obviating objectionable and possiblyobstructing corners and also facilitating the provision of the means forinserting laundry into the device.

The lower inclined portion 26 of the front Awall 25 is preferablyprovided with `a series of Ventilating openings 27, and the upperinclined portion 28 is provided with an aperture 29, preferablyrectangular and extending across the entire width of the device. Theforward section is also provided with the opposite side wall portions 30and 31.

Marginally arranged around the front section are two flanges one ofwhich, designated by the reference numeral 32 extends rearwardly and isadapted to enter the embedded section, telescoping snugly within theforward portions of the walls 17-20. This is an attaching flange as willbe presently described in greater detail. The other flange 33 isarranged to lie in a single plane parallel to the outer surface of thebathroom wall and is adapted to overlie the marginal flange 24 when thesections are in normal association. The flange 33 enhances the outerappearance of theentire device and also facilitates the ventilation oproper supporting and positioning of the outer section. with respect tothe embedded section.

Laundry is adapted to be inserted into the hamper t rough the aperture29. To retain this aperture normally yet yieldably closed I provide aclosure lid 34 preferably hinged as at 35 to the upper marginal edge lofthe aperture 29. I may provide either springmeans or any other suitableinstru- -mentality for normally pressing the lid 34:

outwardly so as to seal the aperture 29. In Figure 2 I have illustrateda construction wherein a weighted web 36 is carried by the rear side ofthe lid 34, whereby the center of gravity of the entire hinged lid isnormally positioned directly beneath the line of hinging 35. It will beobvious that merely pressing upon the lid 34 will permit insertion oflaundry, the lid automatically returning to its normally closed positionafter the pressure has been released.

The interior of the hamper is suitably ventilated during the collectionof laundry therein by means of the openings 27 .and also by means of theadditional openings 37 preferablyy arranged in an ornamental manner onthe front wall portion 25.

To permit the periodic removal ofthe accumulated laundry, I providemeans for totally withdrawing or removingfthe front section from itsnormal association with the rear section. I have shown a pair of pins 38extending upwardly from the wall 20 of the embedded section, and Iprovide an opening or openingsin the lower portion of the flange l32 topermit removable application anden-- gagement of this flange over thepins38. The upper Wall portion 19 is provided with a spring 39 adaptedto engage frictionally and yieldably within a' suitably prepared opening1n the upper portion of the flange .32. The engagment of the flange 32at the spaced top and ttom portions tthereof serves to hold the outersection firmly against-the inner section. Y

To facilitate the withdrawal of the outer section I prefer to provide apair of'openings 40 in each of theside walls 30 and 31 of the outersection, and I may also pro-` vide a pair of openings 41 in the frontwall 25. These o ningsnot only enhance thefwthe hamper, but they are' soconstructed and positioned as'to permit `the insertion of one or morefingers of al person manipulating the device.

Thus, to empty th hamper, the outer section is grasped by means of theopenings 40 or 41 and a pull is then exerted which accomplishes arelease of thespring 39 from the' flange 32. As soon as the flange 32 isclear of the embedded section, a slight lift -upon the outer sectionwill. disengage the flange 32 from the pin or pins 38 and thereby permittotal separation f the two-com#k plementary sections. The laundry willthen fall upon the floor 42 of the bathroom, and the inclination of theportions 22 and 2G will facilitate this removal of the accumulatedlaundry.

The outer section is then reapplied by a reverse series ofmanipulations. It is to be noted that this procedure of emptying thehamper is extremely convenient and capable of performance within a verylimited space. Regardless of the height or width of the entire device,it may be completely emptied in a quick and expeditious mannerregardless of the smallness of the room with whose wall it isassociated.

I contemplate that devices of the present character will be associatedwith the room during the construction of the building, thereby providinga built-in and permanent receptacle which greatly enhances thedesirability of the particular apartment with which it is associated.Since the usual walls are about seven inches thick, I have found itsatisfactory to construct devices having an effective depth ofapproximately eight inches. Such devices are preferably thirty incheshigh, approximately twenty or twenty-four inches wide, and have provento be extremely satisfactory from the standpoint of accumulating theusual amount of laundry.

I am fully aware that built-in receptacles are not by themselves new andI make no claim herein to built-in receptacles broadly. So far as I amaware, however, a construction of the present character is novel in itsseveral features whereby the resent contemplated purposes may be eciently and practically carried into effect.

It will be obvious that changes in the details herein described andillustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention maybe made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. It istherefore intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A laundry hampercomprising a pair of complementary telescopic and wholly se 3- arablesections one of which is adapted to e embedded in a wall of a room andhas a rear Wall whose upper and lower portions extend obliquelyforwardly, and the other of which sections bulges outwardly from saidrstnamed section and is provided with a feeding aperture near its upperedge.

2. A laundry hamper comprising a pair of complementary se arablesections one of which is adapted to b of a room and comprises a rearwall and forwardly disposed top, bottom, and side walls whose forwardedges are adapted to lie sube embedded in a walll stantially Hush withthe outer surface of said wall, said edges carrying outwardly disposedflanges adapted to overlie the adjacent marginal portions of said outersurface; the other section bulging outwardly away from said first-namedsection and comprising two marginal flanges one of which extendshorizontallyinto the' first-named section and the other of whichextendsV vertically and is adapted to overlie the outwardly disposedflanges of said tirst-named section, said outer section being providedwith a feeding aperture near its upper edge.

3. A laundry hamper comprising a pair of complementary separablesections one of which is adapted to be embedded in a vertical wall of aroom, and the other of which sections bulges outwardly away from saidfirst-named section, said second-named section having a feeding apertureand having also a marginal attaching Harige adapted to extend rearwardlytherefrom into said firstnamed section; and means cooperating with saidattaching flange for separably associating said sections to permit totalremoval of said second-named section by pulling and lift-ing thereon;said means comprising a pin carried by the first-named section andadapted to engage said flange.

4. A laundry hamper comprising a rear section adapted to be embedded ina substantially vertical wall of'a room and having an openingsubstantially flush with the exposed surface of said wall, the bottom ofsaid embedded section being in substantially horizontal alignment withthe bottom edge of said opening, a complementary front sectionconstructed as a closure for said` open-k ing andl coextensive in areawith the latter and provided with an aperture for the de posit oflaundryinto the hamper, land a closure lid for said aperture.

5. A laundry hamper comprising a pair of complementary sheet-metalsections, one of said sections being adapted to lie embedded in abathroom wall and comprising rear, side, top, and bottom walls, theother section adapted to bulge outwardly into the room and beingconstructed as a front closure for said embedded section, said frontsection including an apertured portion extending diagonally downwardlyfrom the upper edge thereof, means for Separably associating saidsections to permit total removal of the front section bypulling. andlifting thereon, and a yieldable closure lid ywithin the hamper fornormally sealingsaid apertured portion.

6. A laundry hamper-comprising a. pair of .complementary sheetfmetalsections, one of said sections beingadaptedto `be embedded in asubstantially vertical bathroom wall and comprising-reen side,top`,jandbottom walls, the other section being ada ted to bulge outwardly intothe room and eing constructed as a front closure for said embeddedsection,

said front section including an apertured ortion extending diagonallydownwardly rom the upper edge thereof, a closure lid hinged to saidaperturecl portion for sealing the aperture thereof, yieldable means forretaining said lid in sealing position, an attaehing ange carried by thefront section and adapted to extend rearwardly into telescopicrelationship with said side, top, and bottom Walls of.tl1e embeddedsection7 and means for detachably engaging said attaching flange topermit total removal of the front section when the hamper is to beemptied.

In Witness whereof I have signed and sealed this specifica-tion this 20day of October, 1928.

ARTHUR J. FELTAULT.

